Keyboard for calculating-machines.



No. 722,438. PATENTED MAR, 10, 1903.

' W. T. TREADWAY.

KEYBOARD FOR GALGULATING'MAOHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10, 1902.

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No. 722,438. 7 PATENTBD MAR. 10, 1903. W. T. TREADWAY.

KEYBOARD FOR CALCULATING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10, 1902.

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UNITEDWSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. TREADWAY, OFST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL ACCOUNTANT MACHINE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPO- RATION OF MISSOURI.

KEYBOARD FOR CALCULATING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 722,438, dated March 10, 1903.

Application filed December 10,1902. Serial No. 134,654. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LWILLIAM T. TREADWAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Keyboards for Calculating-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, ref- IO erence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the front portion of a calculating-machine,

I 5 showing my improved keyboard in position thereon. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view, partly in horizontal position; and Fig. 3 is a detail view in vertical section, showing the parts in a changed position.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in keyboards for calculatingmachines of that type shown and described in United States Letters Patent No. 654,181, granted to Frank O. Rinsche July 24, 1900.

In the accompanying drawings I have not shown all of the elements entering into the construction of calculating machines, but have illustrated only those which directly cooperate with my improved form of keyboard.

It is the object of my present'invention to construct the keyboard in such manner that the sliding plates, which cooperate with a series of keys, will be locked in their operated positions, so as to hold the operated key in a depressed position, the remaining keys of that series being locked in an elevated position.

Another object is to compel a full operation of a key before the associate parts controlled thereby are set in an adjusted position.

Another object is to simplify the construction of keyboards of this character and so arrange the parts that their operation is positive to an extent whereby in the event of breakage of springs the keyboard would not be placed out of commission.

I/Vith these objects in View my invention consists in the construction, arrangement,

and combination of the several parts, all as ,will hereinafter be described and afterward pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the base-casting of a calculating-machine, which is preferably supported by cushions 2, and upon which casting is arranged a casing 3, provided with suitable openings, through which project certain parts of the machine. The keyboard is removably supported upon the forward ends of right and left hand frameplates. This keyboard consists of a top plate 9, an intermediate plate 10, and a bottom plate 11, said plates being provided with openings for guiding the shanks 12 of the keys in their movements. Suitable spacing-posts are provided between these plates 9, 10, and 11. Each key shank is provided with a camshaped opening 13, which has a bearing-face 14 for cooperating with the pins 17, hereinafter described.

15 indicates sliding plates which are normally held in a rearward position by springs 16. These sliding plates, as shown in Fig. 2, are recessed on their opposite edges to receive the key-shanks, and said sliding plates are furthermore provided with the pins or projections 17 which cooperate with the face 14 of the opening 13,formed in the key-shanks. The key-shanks are held elevated by means of springs 18, which springs are secured at their upper ends to projections formed on the transverse plates 19, which are arranged under the intermediate plate 10.

22 indicates a locking-detent, there being one of such detents pivotally connected to each of the sliding plates and near their forward ends. These detents each have camfaces 23, a locking-hook portion 24, and a forwardly-extending finger 25, the latter providing means for the attachment of a spring 26. The locking-hook portion 24 cooperates with a'bar 27, said bar being shown as having a groove milled therein; but it is obvious that other forms of fixed projections could be provided with which the locking-hook por- 5 tions 24 could cooperate.

Oamfaces 23 cooperate with fingers 50, which fingers are mounted upon a rocking frame 47, which frame is operated whenever the main shaft 6 is rocked by connections not shown in these drawings or by the manipulation of the total-key 42.

28 indicates slide-bars which are provided with steps 29 for cooperating with a depressed key, said slide-bars being pulled forwardly under the action of springs 29 when the main shaft 6 is rocked, usually by means of a hand-lever or operating-handle upon one end thereof and external the casing of the machine. The slide-bars referred to are re strained from forward movement by means of latch-pins 33, which pins are mounted upon bell-crank levers 32. The upwardly-extending member of each bell-crank lever is in the path of a cooperating sliding plate, and by this construction whenever a key in a series is depressed the sliding plate is positively moved forwardly, so as to raise the bell-crank 4 lever referred to and release the slide-bar 28,

identified with the series of keys under consideration. Unless the locking-hook portion 24 rides beyond its cooperating bar 27 it follows that when the operator releases the depressed key it will return to its normal position under the impulse of its spring. Thus if a key is not fully depressed, while the slide= bar 28 might be temporarily released, said slide-bar will be prevented from moving forwardly when the handle is operated, because the controlling elements thereforto wit, the latch-pin, the bell-crank lever, the sliding plate, and the series of keys common theretoare restored to normal position before the handle is operated. However, when the key is fully depressed it effects the setting up of a stop in the path of one of the pins 29 and at the same time the sliding plate is moved forwardly to raise the latch-pin 33 through the medium of the bell-crank lever 32, and finally the hook portion 24 engages the bar 27 and holds the parts in their set position. This set position of the parts is shown in Fig. 3, wherein it will be seen that one of the projections 17 occupies a position at the upper end of the curved cut-out portions 13, formed in the operated key-shank, and all of the other keys will be held by means of the horizontal slots 30 in their rearmost faces engaging with the sliding plate 15, while said plate 15 will engage the notch 31 of the key which is thus depressed, so that none of the other keys of that series can be depressed when the sliding plate occupies its forward position, as described.

When the operating-handle is manipulated to move the slide-bar 28 forwardly against the stops set up by the operated key, said operating-handle also rocks the frame 47 rearwardly, and in so doing the finger 50 engages the cam-face 23 of the locking-detent, raising the locking-hook portion thereof out of engagement with the bar 27, which permits the sliding plate to be restored to its home position under the impulse of its spring. If for any reason this spring refuses to act, the finger 50, after raising the detent 22, will positively restore the sliding plate, which sliding plate will positively restore the depressed key should its spring 18 refuse to act.

It will be observed by referring to Fig. 1 that the cut-out portion formed in the key-shank is of such dimensions that when the keys are home the projections 17 can play freely therein without frictional contact. Of course when a key is depressed there is frictional contact between the projections 17 and the rearward face 14 of the curved opening, due to the cam action in moving the sliding plate forwardly.

1 am aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of my device can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described Without in the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a depressible key having an opening with a cam-face, and lockingnotches in the forward edge thereof, of a sliding plate having a lateral projection for cooperating with the forward face of said opening, whereby, when the key is depressed, the plate is moved longitudinally, and when the key remains in an elevated position and the plate is moved longitudinally said plate will lock said key in its elevated position; substantially as described.

2. The combination with a key-shank provided with a locking-notch and an opening having a cam-face, of a sliding plate provided with a projection for cooperating with said camface and locking-notch whereby, when the key is depressed, the plate is moved longitudinally and when the key remains in its elevated position it is locked in such position by the longitudinal movement of the plate, and means for restoring the plate which effects the raising of the key; substantially as described.

3. The combination with a series of keys whose shanks are provided with curved camshaped openings and locking-notches in one edge thereof, of a sliding plate common to said series of keys and provided with projec tions cooperating with said cam-shaped openings, a spring connected to said sliding plate, springs for each of the keys, and a locking-detent carried by said sliding plate substantially as described.

4. The combination with a longitudinal se-' ries of keys, each of which is provided with a cam-shaped opening and shouldered recesses, of a notched plate provided with means for engaging with a face of said cam shaped opening and which is slid longitudinally into the recesses of the key-shanks for limiting the vertical movement of said shanks; substantially as described.

5. The combination with a series of keys, of a sliding plate cocperating with notches in IIO one edge of said keys, a locking-detent cooperating with said sliding plate, a cam-face on said detent, a rocking frame cooperating with said cam-face, and means for rocking said frame; substantially as described.

6. The combination with a series of keys having notches in one edge thereof, of a sliding plate cooperating with said notches, a spring-held locking-detent carried by said sliding plate, a cam-face on said detent, and means cooperating with said cam-face for moving said detent out of locked position; substantially as described.

7. The combination with a series of keys having cam-shaped openings in their shanks and notches in the forward edges of said WILLIAM T. TREADWVAY.

Witnesses:

GEORGE BAKEWELL, FREDERICK H. GIBBS. 

